Wes craven the serpent and the rainbow

I am going by memory that is the name. The movie takes place in Haiti. It's about this guy I think goes to a shaman for psychedelic experience. He blows drugs in his face they slow heart rate, he is pronounced dead. They have a funeral drugs wear off he gets out of grave. I forget the rest but interesting.

a reply to: Firebrand1105volunteer

Not a very good movie imo. But why make such a short thread about it?

a reply to: Firebrand1105volunteer

I remember that one, saw it about 30 yrs ago. How time flies, LOL I thought it was a decent movie with interesting story line.

I just wanted to talk about it I barely remember . Wes Cravens first film I think. I think the drugs wear off and he gets permanent damage. The whole thought of zombies ? I was playing the walking dead with Clementine on Xbox , they take enough damage how they all still walking around?

a reply to: Firebrand1105volunteer
Cravens first movie was 'Last House on the Left". It was really intense and also banned in many countries. If I remember right it was because of the scene by the lake at the end of the movie.

a reply to: Firebrand1105volunteer

Was that Papa Doc?
The one who wed Hill and Bill?

You know it is true.

I saw it years ago. Scary!



It says this beneath the trailer.

"Dennis Allan is an scientist who visits Haiti on the strength of a rumour of a drug which renders the recipient totally paralyzed but conscious. The drug's effects often fool doctors, who declare the victims dead. Could this be the origin of the "zombie" legend? Alan embarks on a surprising and often surreal investigation of the turbulent social chaos that is Haiti during the revolution which ousted hated dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Often a pawn in a greater game, Alan must decide what is science, what is superstition, and what is the unknown in a anarchistic society where police corruption and witch-doctory are commonplace."

originally posted by: Firebrand1105volunteer
I am going by memory that is the name. The movie takes place in Haiti. It's about this guy I think goes to a shaman for psychedelic experience. He blows drugs in his face they slow heart rate, he is pronounced dead. They have a funeral drugs wear off he gets out of grave. I forget the rest but interesting.

The setting was Haiti under Baby Doc (not Papa Doc - Baby's dad - if memory serves)... Paradise! Good times...

If you want a nail driven into your scrotum, that is. I still cringe thinking about that scene.

The actual "zombie" drug in the movie is made from Pufferfish poison (tetrodotoxin) and is inhaled. Although Wade Davis' early work (upon which the book and movie are based) has been largely discredited since the mid 90s, tetrodotoxin has recently been looked at as a pain relieving drug (in proper doses) for cancer patients.

originally posted by: Firebrand1105volunteer
I just wanted to talk about it I barely remember . Wes Cravens first film I think. I think the drugs wear off and he gets permanent damage. The whole thought of zombies ? I was playing the walking dead with Clementine on Xbox , they take enough damage how they all still walking around?

Like other posters said it was not Craven's first film , hell it wasnt even close to his first film.

The Serpent and the Rainbow was his 10th film. I can get that you aren't a Fangoria - Rue Morgue level horror fan but I'm not sure how you didn't remember A Nightmare on Elm Street as coming sooner. Last House on the Left or The Hills Have Eyes, okay a bit obscure unless horror is your thing, but Nightmare?!?

Anyway...Solid film because like all the best horror films it's got just enough of a "maybe this is really happening in some foreign land" to make it real.

This movie scared the hell outta me.
Being buried alive is terrifying.
It gets a lil silly at the end, with the witch doctor stealing peoples strength, but its an original horror movie with tension and makes you uneasy throughout.
One of my favorites to recommend, because a lot of people my age have never heard of it.

"He sends me into peoples dreams"

I LOVED that movie! Saw it multiple times

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: Firebrand1105volunteer

Not a very good movie imo. But why make such a short thread about it?

Actually it was a brilliant movie for its time but you had to watch and understand the plot.

It was also loosely based on a true story.
www.the13thfloor.tv...

The story was about a guy whom was a kind of investigator working for pharmaceutical company's and trying to get his hand's on drug's - usually be visiting native tribe's in south america and other places to try to obtain the knowledge of there shaman and to learn about plant's that the local's already knew had medicinal and other property's and this often took him into attempting to contact un-contacted and often hostile tribes and other dangerous situation's.

In the course of his career he came to Haiti in search of the Zombie Drug, a substance said to have potentially vast medicinal uses if it could be understood properly.

The Zombie Drug is actually very real, it makes a person appear dead and so the shaman or someone that had bought the powder from them would slip the victim the drug then there body would be dug up after there burial a fact which was aided as they could stay buried for some time due to there slowed metabolism and then be dug up once the relative's had gone since in Haiti relatives would often sit vigil for several day's by a loved one's grave to protect them from being turned into a Zombie - usually often despite appearing dead the victim's were conscious all along but remained unable to move or speak or cry for help so it would of course drive many people insane.

So in essence they were never actually dead just had very slowed metabolic rate and then once they were in the Shaman's hand's he could administer other drug's and even use hypnosis to enslave the person some of which actually destroyed the person's will power, sense of self.

This particular Shaman he crossed and made angry in his search for the drug was one whom was higher in the regime that then ran the country in 1960's then most other people except the president himself and was actually over the Tonton Macoute.
en.wikipedia.org...

The film followed the investigator whom himself was eventually made into a Zombie by this shaman he had crossed and entered into the twilight zone of the paranormal were it may have deviated from the true story - or then again maybe not?.

The Shaman - head of the Secret Police of Haiti - kept personal affects of his victim's over which he had worked haitian Voodoo spell's and the investigator somehow broke free of his control smashing the jars in which he kept those item's so releasing the trapped soul's of the Shaman's victim's which then sought there revenge upon the monster.

Overall I liked the movie a lot but it has aged.
There are many far more interesting and up to date movies than this old 1987 movie but for it's time it was really good as you would expect form Wes Craven though the special affect's and cultural setting of the time as well as the artistic liberty's taken would both likely make it far less accurate than the true story it was based upon AND also far harder for modern audiences many of whom were not even born in 1987 let along the much earlier period when the true story took place to identify with.

So it's a niche movie but not a bad one, just a like it not kind of movie like most movies in fact.